


Day Two Hundred Twenty-One || Jagged Edge

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [221]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blood, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-16 04:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20188597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: A summer bike ride to the store turns into a bit of a disaster. Since when is Sasuke so medically minded...?





	Day Two Hundred Twenty-One || Jagged Edge

Risk, it seems, can exist anywhere. One moment, she’s just riding her bike along the sidewalk, minding her own business. It’s been beautiful weather lately. Not too hot, no rain for a week or two, a pleasant breeze fluttering through the neighborhood. Old enough she may be for a driver’s license, but Hinata doesn’t see the rush. Getting to cruise the streets around her home astride her lilac bike suits her just fine. Besides, it’s not like she usually needs to go far. And if she does, her father just typically gives her a ride. If...he’s in a good enough mood.

And with Hiashi, that _can_ be a bit of a gamble. But for the most part, she gets on all right.

Today she’s heading to the nearby convenience store to get some snacks. She doesn’t have what she needs to make anything herself, so...off she goes to spend some of her allowance on goodness knows what. She’ll make up her mind when she gets there.

Or...she _would_.

Because the next moment, Hinata’s afternoon is thrown for a bit of a loop. Out from under a car streaks a cat, _right_ in front of her! Squawking in surprise, she attempts to veer away to keep from hitting it, and _that_...costs her any semblance of balance she had before. For a few more feet she manages to wobble, and then down she goes with a crash and a clatter. A tangle of limbs and bicycle, she winces as several separate pains register at once. Oh...this isn’t going to be good, is it? At least, from what she can tell, nothing is broken - not judging from the initial screaming from her nerves, at least.

For a minute or so she just sort of...lays there, catching her breath and trying to make sense of what the heck just happened. Cat...wobbling...falling. _Right_ along the lip of the sidewalk, too.

Ouch…

Gingerly sitting up, she manages to get her bike away from her enough to start looking herself over. There’s gravelly grit in both palms from her attempts to catch herself, the torn flesh pulsing lightly in pain with her heartbeat. One shin is already bruising - she’s...really not sure how she did that. The fall happened so fast, she’s not really sure of how _anything_ happened, specifically.

But what really catches her eye is her left forearm. From halfway down the limb to her elbow, a great, wide gash is bleeding rather freely, dripping as she holds it aloft and feels just the slightest wave of nausea. Hinata isn’t exactly new to the whole bumps and bruises thing, but...oof, that looks pretty nasty. And the more she looks at it, the more she swears it hurts. Glancing around, she figures it must have scraped along the rather jagged, worn edge of the sidewalk. Part of her expects to see a huge chunk of her arm left behind.

Okay...she needs to get up. And...make her way home and get patched up. Ugh, there’s already a big smear of blood on her shirt...this is a brand new shirt, darn it!

“Holy shit!”

Jolting at the sudden words, she looks up and freezes. Having jogged down the lawn, none other than Sasuke Uchiha - local high school heartthrob - stares down at her in clear surprise. “...uh -?”

“Are you okay? That looks pretty bad!”

“I-I, um...I’m fine, I just -”

“Here, let me help you up…” Getting a little closer, he offers a hand, but hesitates as he sees the rough shape of her own. “Uh...hold on.” Stepping around her, he instead makes to lift her from under the arms, not wanting to take hold of anything injured.

Wow...he’s strong! Hinata’s not the thinnest among her friends (though she _is_ rather short), but he props her up like it’s nothing!

“C’mon, we’ll go clean you up inside. We’ve got a first aid kit in the bathroom.”

Still rather taken aback at his appearance, let alone how helpful he’s being, Hinata just sort of...nods, following like a dazed puppy behind him into the house.

Quite obviously, she’s never been here before. It’s really nice…! Mindful of her wound, she cups a hand under it, not wanting to drop crimson on anything. Sasuke doesn’t stop to remove shoes, instead beelining for the nearest bathroom. And it’s not like she wants to try to do so with no hands, given her questionable balance at the moment.

“Here...go ahead and rinse stuff off in the sink. I’ll find the kit.”

Another nod, carefully turning on the water and easing her hands into it. There’s a wince as it hits the roughened skin of her palms. She gingerly washes out the debris, thankful to see it’s not _too_ bad. It just stings.

Her arm, however, is another story.

Shying a bit from the gore, she eases it into the stream, gasping in pain as it reacts. “Ah!” Ugh...she _really_ needs to get all the blood off...but it hurts so bad…!

Setting her jaw, Hinata tries again, ignoring the complaints of her nerves and carefully rinsing the wound. The skin is completely shredded, and she can’t help a small whine of distress. Her father is going to be so mad...hopefully her bike wasn’t damaged…

It’s then she realizes they left it by the sidewalk. “Oh…”

“Hm?”

“M-my bike…”

“Oh, uh...one sec, I’ll go bring it up to the house.” Setting a first aid box on the counter beside her, Sasuke jogs out of sight.

Left alone in a relative stranger’s house, Hinata just...sheepishly keeps rinsing. Is anyone else from his family home…? What should she say if they find her here? The truth, she supposes...but it still feels invasive to be here without her inviter present.

Thankfully he’s not gone for long. “Okay...let’s see it.”

Her palms don’t require much attention. He gives them a splash of hydrogen peroxide, earning a small hiss, but otherwise they’re fine. It’s her arm that’s going to be the real problem. Gently dabbing at it with some paper towels, he studies it rather keenly, brows furrowed. There’s still some bleeding. After his little assessment, he wets some gauze with antiseptic, giving the wound a rinse after a warning for pain.

Yelping, Hinata almost yanks her arm out of his grip, but he keeps hold. “Hold on, almost done.” Placing the gauze, he then wraps it and secures it all in place. “...there. That’ll keep it clean for a while, anyway.”

Looking to the patch job curiously, Hinata murmurs, “...thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“I...didn’t know you knew so much about, um...this sort of thing.”

“My brother’s dating a nurse. She likes to give lessons,” Sasuke replies with a humored snort. “Guess it came in handy, huh?”

“Y-yeah. I should - I should, um...g-get going home. My dad’s going to be furious…”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, your bike looks fine. Nothing’s bent or anything, but some paint got scraped off.”

“T-that’s okay. Thank you for grabbing it for me.”

“Sure thing. Didn’t want anyone nabbing it. It’s a decent neighborhood, but...anyone can be an asshole.”

“G...good point.”

“Sure you want to take that thing home? I could drive you.”

“Oh, n-no - you’ve done enough -!”

“It’s not far, right? Better than walking.”

Having no retort, Hinata sheepishly follows as he puts her bike in a car trunk, letting her in the passenger side and heading toward her house at her directions.

All the while, she’s otherwise quiet. She’s never really spoken to Sasuke before...she had no idea he was so...nice? He’s always a bit closed off in school, almost aloof. But today he seemed just...normal. And certainly helpful. Part of her wonders why he puts on airs at school…

“All right...hop out, and I’ll get your bike.”

Carefully accepting the handlebars, Hinata offers, “Thanks again, for...for everything.”

“Sure. Just be careful, huh? And wear a helmet next time,” he replies, one corner of his lips lifting in a smile. For good measure, he gives her forehead a flick.

Startled, she can’t help a flush of flustered pink. “I...I-I will.”

With that, he gives a wave, heading back into his car before making his way toward home.

Watching quietly, Hinata muses for a moment before wheeling her bike back into the garage. Well...no snacks today, and she’s a bit worse for wear. But...overall, she can’t say she regrets it. She has to wonder when she’ll...see him again. The _real_ him, not the bravado at school.

...Sakura and Ino will never believe her.

**Author's Note:**

> Some random modern shenanigans - not really tied to anything previous, a little standalone thing. I've done a plot...vaguely similar to this? Though with some darker themes. I think for last year's SHM, I can't recall.
> 
> But anyway, it's very late and my eyeballs are screaming - time to sleep! Thanks for reading~


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